The before and after differences are easily explained.The monkey in question was given a cool new mink hat as a reward for heroism.For the media photo op, he was given a session in a tanning booth to achieve a healthy and vibrant look.And his face simply was refigured by the super high velocity the rocket achieved.

FTFA: "The new photo evidence could suggest that the launch of the "Pishgam" (Pioneer) craft did not actually take place, and might alleviate Western fears over Iranian advances in space technology. "

Wait, is this something that wasn't independently verified? Are no countries able to determine whether or not Iran actually launches a rocket into space? I can see swapping out the monkey if it didn't fare so well, but that's a big difference from faking the entire launch.

FTA:"The launch had initially alarmed some in the West because the long-range ballistic technology used to propel Iranian satellites into orbit could be put to use dispatching nuclear warheads to a target."

"The new photo evidence could suggest that the launch of the "Pishgam" (Pioneer) craft did not actually take place, and might alleviate Western fears over Iranian advances in space technology."